Running trails in Lincoln, NE
Lincoln has 19 trails in the directory — 1 paved, 1 loop that returns to the trailhead, 1 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 2 open 24 hours. 18 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 7,727 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Holmes Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,242 reviews
Lakeside park comprising open space & walking paths, plus a public golf course & an observatory.
Pioneers Park Nature Center
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,171 reviews
Prairie, forest & wetlands covering 668 acres for environmental education & animal preservation.
Mahoney Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 790 reviews
77-acre green space featuring a golf course, sports courts & fields, a playground & hiking trails.
Holmes Lake Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 700 reviews
Lakefront park featuring walking and bike trails, beach volleyball and fishing spots.
Stransky Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 364 reviews
Neighborhood, gated park known for its waterfalls and summer concert series held every Thursday.
Wilderness Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 267 reviews
Vast nature-filled park, featuring scenic trails for hiking, bicycling and horse riding.
Van Dorn Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 246 reviews
City park with a hiking/biking trail, play equipment, restrooms & reservable shelters for events.
Union Plaza
4.4 ★★★★☆ 164 reviews
Park with a picnic area and fountain, plus art pieces, a playground and music.
Frank Shoemaker Marsh
4.6 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Wildlife refuge featuring kid-friendly hiking trails, a peaceful atmosphere, and scenic views.
Jamaica North Trailhead North
4.8 ★★★★★ 25 reviews
Wilderness Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 23 reviews
Highway 2 Greenway
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Lincoln
- Match the surface to your legs. Lincoln gives you a choice: 2 mixed and 1 paved. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More mixed trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 1 trail here is a loop, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Lincoln is Pioneers Park Prairie Corridor Trail Head at 157 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 2 trails in Lincoln are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 18 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 4 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 4 have a water fountain in Lincoln. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 3 that runners describe as quiet, and 4 dog-friendly. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Lincoln trails by type
Running trails near Lincoln
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.